The Study.

This is Brian's study. (I have a desk in here, but there's no telling him that makes it my study too! LOL) We are still working on it, but most of the frames have pictures in them and at least it is a functioning room now. When we first moved in, it was piled with boxes, mostly filled with books.

Check back for details on the interesting blue wall hanging.
 It has an amazing story and an even better meaning behind it!

Brian insisted on displaying his signed "Trip Lee" t-shirt. We didn't have room on the wall,
 but our futon has a middle section that pulls down so I just put it on there. Look ok?

This room is probably the least done out of what I have already shown you. I like the way it is set up, but need some bookshelve ideas.

This side of the room is my least favorite.
Too much stuff in too little of space! HELP!

What do you think? Any suggestions for this room?

New ADDITION!!!

Now all of you I am sure thought that I was going to announce a pregnancy...LOL but I am not. Just going to tell you of our newest additions to our home.

Yes, we still live in the city limits, but they allow us to have chickens! We are super excited about fresh eggs!

Check back soon for a post about our chicken coop building experience!

Spiritual Wall

Brian and I are always looking for more and different way to help us, as a couple, grow closer to Jesus. When we bought our house, we were trying to memorize a verse in Galatians (Brian's future post) and it wasn't going too well. It is difficult when you have so many thing in a day that you need to remember things that need to get done, places you have to go, people you need to call, work that must be turned in...you get the picture.
So when Brian and I moved in, I decided that we were going to put it on the wall (not literally). I typed it in PowerPoint, so that I could add my flare to the Word Art, put it in a frame, and hung it up in our room.
Then it grew...a prayer reminder (praying), a Bible reading accountability chart (Reading), a weekly catechism question (Learning), and of course the memory verse (Memorizing)...all went up, hence the name "spiritual wall". What else can it be called?!!

Brian and I love it! It is right by our door, so when we go out we can take a peak. It brings accountability, many fun "quizzing" moments, and just a centered thought on Christ while in this room. What do you think? Anything we missed?

Our room...

The first room we are going to release for viewing just got done a few nights ago. We have been working non-stop on it and I love the way it has turned out.

Hopefully you can see the progression around the room. I still (obviously need to finish making the curtains for this room..watch for that post. They are gonna be super cute!) We decided to go with black, white, and red in our room and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

The door you can see goes into the bathroom which you will see as we make our way through the house. I found our bed spread at a "Tuesday Mornings". They have a lot of cheap bedding sets. I liked it, but (at the time) it was just black white and grey. I sewed the red ribbon on there and now love it. It just made the blanket and pillows pop!

To complete the tour, you see our closet door (which is closed for good reasons!! LOL) and our bedroom door, which leads down a long hallway past the other rooms and into the living space. The hangings that you see are our "Spiritual Wall".

This is our room. Watch upcoming post for the rest of the house tour!

Our home

Brian and I have just bought our first house. The process was grueling and tiresome. We went through at least three different contracts and banks. Problems came left and right, but then we found a cute little house and everything just fell into place.

It is amazing to me how easy thing are when you are in God's will and how plans just fall into place when He is behind them.
We love our house now and know that God put us right in this neighborhood.

Watch for room by room posts with pictures and details!!
~Erin

Our week

Though we have been waiting for what seem forever to move into our new home, it seems we will have to wait a few more days. Today, February 13th, marks our second closing date and it seems it will pass without signing a single document. We seem to be struggling to find the right lending company to make this house ours. The first didn't complete anything. The second wouldn't accept the appraisal. So now, we are waiting, talking with our realtor, and trying to find patience that is a little allusive these days.

We are confident though that if this is the plan God has for us he will make it happen in His time.

Laundry

Ok so we have been packing and preparing for our move.

This process is nuts and you think that as you take things and put them in boxes my house would get more organized...NOT!

We cleaned out the attic and since the stuff in there had been slept on by racoons (yes we have racoons in our attic) and mice, I felt the need to wash the bedding and clothing before I packed it. This also helped me see what we were keeping and what we were going to get rid of.

This is the mess that it created!

Now Mom, before you panic and jump in the car to drive seven hours and "fix" me...I should update you on my progress! LOL

So drop the keys, and relax....its folded and maybe will be put away (or worn) from here!

Hope everyone else is having a productive type day too!

Noise

Since I have no children and my husband is at work during the day, I have this need for noise in my house at this stage in my life. It helps with all the alone time and the boredom of doing the dishes staring at the wall. I have tried music and television, but the best noise I have found is my dogs. I got Azlan, when she was three months old. She has grown a lot and has become a great dog. Don't get me wrong she still needs more training, but she is well on her way.

The picture on the left is Azlan when I first got her.

The right is a picture of Azlan now...not much has changed.

Brian had a dog when we got married, so I now have another "day-time" companion. His name is Leo and he is quite a bit more "mature" than Azlan. Well, sometimes!

These two are constantly together and love playing, running, and walking. Azlan gets on Leo's nerves I think...Azlan will take Leo's toys and then Leo

 will chase Azlan around and around the kitchen

table and living room to get the toy back. They

provide much laughter and many smiles...some

frustration too.

So now ya see my day...or at least how it sounds! Hoping you all are having a great, noisey day too!

God's Plans

So many times in life we have opportunities to evaluate, but we don't take them. A few weeks ago (before all this wedding craziness!) I was packing my entire life (again!) into a box to move into a new place and a new phase.

It got pretty messy and I thought how ironic it was...

Life usually gets the messiest when we are fighting the move that God wants us to make. I wasn't very thankful for the blessing of where I was going in life. I was 26 years old and moving into my sister's basement. Now don't get me wrong, I love my sister and her family to death. It had nothing to do with who I was moving in with, but the fact that I didn't want to "need" anyone to help me. (I am just a little independent that way...lol) Because of my stuborn self, I was in, what I felt, was a mess...when really it was just another step in life. See the picture above is actually very organized. One pile goes to one place. The other gets stored in another place. There is a walk-way inbetween for convience. Looking in some would say that it is a disaster, but when the right person is in charge the "messiness" makes complete sense. When I let God decide where He wants me at that particular moment, everything seems to clear and organize and become complete and utterly amazing perfection!

Obviously, I did need that help, and I have been loving my time close to my sisters. I live with one, but see the other all the time too! We are all so close that it is hard to think of another moving date in my near future, which will put me about 7 hours away.

Until then though, I am trying to make the most of being close. I try to take time and stop my "business" to hold a toddler as she wakes up from her nap all warm and cuddlie, to help my older nieces with math (while I still can understand it!), to be an example in my actions to a boy who is fast becoming a little man of God, and to sit and talk with my life long best friends, my sisters, who have had to put up with so much because of my craziness. I couldn't ask for a better family, and I couldn't ask for a more precious time to be able to spend with them. God's plans throw us for a loop sometimes, but they are always a perfect fit for what we need.

Reverse Ad

So...

My apartments lease is up in September and I have decided to look for a house.
I figured I would let all of you know so that if any of you see a nice house you could let me know. I am not really picky about location, but am still going to be at Maryville for the next two semesters and then SLU. All of my family lives in St.Clair (or close to there) and I want to be a little more in between those two locations.

Any thoughts?

A look in my window...

*watching Criminal Minds...a great show that is so nail biting (when you haven't seen every episode four times!)

*looking out my window at all the snow...thinking of my sister hates white!
*homework (and my blog) open on my computer's desktop...guess which one is getting more attention!

*in my kitchen, are a whole bunch of dishes! But hey, nobody's coming over...right? I mean, I could do them...just let me know! :)

*the house is actually fairly picked up. A puppy has that effect on a house. What a great motivator...pick it up or chew it up!

*on my mind, there are three children who have burdened my heart after our sessions today.

*thinking I love facebook for the connection it gives me with my battle buddies down range (God bless you all!)

*wishing that I had been able to spend more time with my family today.

*hating that I have to take a dog outside every hour so that she doesn't ruin this carpet!

*laughing at the stupidity of the comercials on TV and of course the battle buddy I am chatting with on Facebook (battle buddies are always there when ya need 'em!)

Yeah, that about sums up the last few minutes. I am like the Missouri weather though, wait five minutes and it might change!

I know...but it was cute! :)

This is my newest addition to my apartment. Azlan is a 3 month old Australian Cattle Dog. She is very inquisitive, sweet and (at times) rambunctious! It has totally changed the look of the apartment and is a great decorative piece...are you buying that?

My Kitchen

This is my favorite room in my house! As you can see, there are dirty dishes in the sink, stuff on the stove, and the counter has cookies on it, which is the way you will find it most times. My kitchen is NEVER clean! But I love it that way and I would imagine there are several people who are deployed right now who whole heartedly feel the same way!

It is really funny to me...as a child, my mom would have probably had to tie me up to keep me in the kitchen long, and heaven help the person who ate whatever the product was! But since then, I have perfected my ability to be still long enough to be in the kitchen...it calms and relaxes me, frustrates and aggrevates me, and most of all fattens and slows me (LOL).

So the cookies on the counter and the cupcakes on the stove (they were not cooked there! no jokes, crazy's!!!!)

This is my latest addition to my kitchen (really the addition is in the laundry room, which is in the kitchen so by default the addition is part of the kitchen!)

In keeping with my promise to one of my very special readers, I wanted to show you my favorite room!

The apartment...just for you Sarah!

This is my beautiful bathroom! It is green and gave me a place to put my Costa Rica memories...I love the way it turned out!



Next is my bedroom...












...and of course the most important part of any house! THE CLOSET!

Now I must add a disclaimer...these pictures were taken on the one day that everything was clean. So if you happen to stop by (feel free anytime!), it will NOT be this clean. (said with total certainty!) LOL...I have come to know that I have my strengths and spotless housekeeping just didn't make the cut! I am good with that...it gives me more time to do other things.


Stay tuned for more pictures of my new place....

See a theme?

There is still 7 inches of snow not melted and here we go again! But I have to say that it kinda makes me giddy...I love snow. It reminds me of childhood when we would go out and sled then come in and mom would giveus hot chocolate to drink by the fire! Great memories!

Sosa

That's what it is according to Kate! She loves orange sosa out of her own bottle! Sorry that it is sideways, but I can't figure out how to turn it! LOL

Pillow Fight

Sleepovers

We had our first sleep over at my apartment (not my house mind you, Josiah says that it is an apartment not a house!) We had so much fun. The giggles and shouts of children are so contagious!

By about 9 o'clock, we had gone through soda, ice cream, candy, and (of course I fed them dinner!) taco bell! hehe

 So when I suggested that we start heading to bed, they were no where near ready. I stuck them all in the bath tub, yes all four! I did this because they all wanted to sleep in the bedroom. So I had to move my futon and a chair into the bedroom so that we had enough room. One on the couch, one in the chair, and three on the bed...good thing I got a queen!

Before we made it to sleep though of course we needed to break in the bed! Shhhhh...my sister would probably kill me. :-) They were having so much fun that I started taping them. That, not surprisingly, made them ham it up even more!

I am having some problems uploading the videos, but I will try to post them again.

Ok Ok Ok

Here is my first post in like forever...according to most of my readers. I have moved into my new apartment. It only takes thirteen minutes to get to school, which is really exciting! Speaking of school, it keeps me very busy and sometimes more stressed than I should let it, but overall, it is good. Since moving, I am obviously trying to get settled and make this place home...at least for the next two years or so. I am decorating (no laughing, I can be very domestic when I want to be : P ) and loving the space that I haven't had for many years now.
    I do have a dilemma though. I am now trying to decided the best way to get to know my neighbors. So if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.